Will Josh Duggar Be On Future Episodes Of ‘Jill & Jessa: Counting On?’ Duggars Slowly Reintroducing Josh To Viewers [Video]
Josh Duggar has been spotted quite a bit lately, and that’s largely because the first full season of Jill & Jessa: Counting On has concluded, and the Duggar family is now free to bring Josh back into the public. But with a second full season of Jill & Jessa: Counting On hanging in the balance, fans are starting to question whether Josh will make an appearance in future episodes.
Although TLC has yet to renew the series, according to television insiders, Jill & Jessa: Counting On has a high likelihood of returning. The series premiered to record-breaking ratings, with 1.9 million curious viewers ready to find out how the Duggar family has been coping since their public downfall instigated by the Josh Duggar scandals.
Josh Duggar seemed unhappy during Mother's Day outing with family: https://t.co/o0NnEBCVyo pic.twitter.com/srPInW2lqk
— ExtraTV (@extratv) May 11, 2016
The following episodes also held up, attracting over a million viewers per episode while managing to retain that audience throughout the season, proving that the Josh Duggar scandals didn’t really dampen America’s love for the conservative Christian Duggar family. Despite some controversy and angry sponsors, TLC still managed to fill advertising slots during each episode, and according to television insiders, much of the controversy was resolved. The bottom line is that although Josh publicly embarrassed them, the Duggar family still brings high ratings to the network.
Wrigley’s gum was one sponsor that pulled out of sponsoring the series after the premiere episode of the first full season without Josh, telling angry viewers in a statement that “[i]t is never our intent to endorse content that could offend our consumers.” Other sponsors were apologetic but explained to viewers that they purchased blocks of advertising time from the network and had little voice in when their ads would air.
To resolve part of the controversy, TLC assured viewers and potential advertisers that Josh Duggar would not make an appearance on the series, and to date, he hasn’t. But fans still see Jill & Jessa: Counting On as a thinly-veiled way to reintroduce all of the Duggars back to viewers, particularly since even Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar made several cameos on the series that was meant to follow the kids as they grew up and started families of their own. Josh Duggar’s wife, Anna, made several appearances, and her emotions as she coped with realizing her husband had cheated on her was a main storyline for the entire season.
Josh Duggar spotted at golf range: Parents upset by his child molestation past. #duggars https://t.co/xz4KE8HJfW pic.twitter.com/rid5GdswZk
— The New York Independent (@nyi_news) May 9, 2016
As a way to reintroduce Josh to the public, he was first spotted at a mini-golf course with his family and posed for a photo with Jim Bob. In a subsequent photo, Josh was seen enjoying a Mother’s Day lunch with the rest of the family as well as making an appearance at a friend’s graduation, and he posed for photos with fans at the event.
While according to Duggar insiders most people are avoiding Josh, fans have been publicly supportive of the disgraced reality star. According to Hollywood Gossip, after photos of Josh out and about were leaked by In Touch magazine, Duggar fans flocked to offer congratulations to Josh and Anna, writing that it’s “SOOOO Good to hear news on Josh and family,” as well as confessing that they “pray for [Josh and Anna Duggar] often and really believe they should be on the show and sharing how they are walking through such a difficult situation. We believe Josh’s story could help so many Christian men who have the same struggle.”
Clearly, there is still a supportive audience for Josh Duggar, and although TLC has yet to confirm if there will even be another season of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, it’s possible that reintroducing Josh to the general public might be one way the Duggar family will try to get him back on television. During the entire season of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, Anna Duggar and her marriage were main storylines, so it’s possible that a show revealing how Josh and Anna have coped with the scandals might be a ratings draw.
What do you think? Will Josh Duggar make an appearance on any future episodes of Jill & Jessa: Counting On? Leave a comment below!
[Image via Instagram]
